Main Entry: 1staff
Pronunciation: staf
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural staffs /stafs, stavz /; or staves /stavz, stvz/1 a: a pole, stick, rod, or bar used as a support or as a sign of authority <a flag hanging limp on its staff> b: the long handle of a weapon (as a lance or pike) c: 1CLUB 1a, cudgel2: something that is a source of strength <bread is the staff of life>3: the five horizontal lines and the spaces between them on which music is written4plural staffsa: a group of persons serving as assistants to or employees under a chief <a hospital staff> b: military officers who assist a commanding officer in planning and management but who do not take part in actual combat - staffadjective [staff illustration]